Roemer, Margaretha G.M.

Abstract Classical Hodgkin lymphomas (cHLs) include infrequent malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells within an extensive but ineffective inflammatory/immune cell infiltrate. HRS cells exhibit frequent copy number alterations (CNAs) of 9p24.1/CD274 (PD-L1)/PDCD1LG2(PD-L2), ranging from low-level polysomy to relative copy gain and high-level amplification, all associated with increased expression of programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) ligands on the tumor cell. PD-1 ligands engage the PD-1 receptor on T cells, inhibiting T cell activation and anti-tumor immune responses. cHL patients (pts) with the highest-level 9p24.1 alterations, PD-L1/PD-L2 amplification, have inferior progression-free survival (PFS) after standard primary chemotherapy (Roemer et al. J Clin Oncol 2016). Given the demonstrated responsiveness of cHL to PD-1 blockade, we examined the prevalence and type of 9p24.1 genetic alterations, PD-L1 expression, and association of these alterations with clinical outcome in pts receiving nivolumab (nivo; anti-PD-1) for relapsed/refractory (R/R) cHL. CheckMate205 is a multicenter, multicohort, phase 2 trial of nivo in R/R cHL. This analysis focused on 2 cohorts: pts with recurrent cHL following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and subsequent brentuximab vedotin (BV) (cohort B), and pts with R/R cHL following ASCT and BV given pre- or post-ASCT (cohort C). Pts received nivo 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Best overall response (BOR) and PFS were assessed by an independent radiological review committee (IRRC). In pts with available tumor biopsies, 9p24.1 genetic alterations were evaluated via fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay; probes encompassed CD274 (PD-L1, red) or PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2, green)and included a centromeric control (aqua).Dual immunohistochemical staining of PD-L1/PAX5 was performed to delineate PD-L1 expression in PAX5dim+ HRS cells and PAX5- cells in the tumor microenvironment. A modified PD-L1 H-score (range 0-300) was calculated by multiplying the percentage of PAX5+ (malignant) or PAX5- (non-malignant) cells with positive staining (0-100%) and the average intensity of positive staining (1-3+; ≥50 RS cells counted). All p-values are nominal. 96 pts had evaluable baseline tumor biopsy specimens; all 96 had detectable 9p24.1 alterations: polysomy in 10/96 (10%), copy gain in 56/96 (58%), amplification in 28/96 (29%), and presumptive rearrangement (split-apart FISH signal) in 2/96 (2%) (Figure). There was a significant association between PD-L1 protein expression (H-score) and the level of 9p24.1 alterations in HRS cells (p=0.002) (Figure). We next evaluated the association between BOR and defined 9p24.1 alterations and PD-L1 H-scores. The level of 9p24.1 CNAs was significantly associated with BOR (p=0.01); no pts with progressive disease (PD) had genomic amplification and no pts with complete response (CR) had polysomy. Similarly, there was significant association between PD-L1 H-score in HRS cells and BOR (p=0.02); all pts with PD had PD-L1 H-scores in quartiles (Q) 1/2, whereas most pts with CR had PD-L1 H-scores in Q4. We also assessed the association of PFS with 9p24.1 status and PD-L1 H-scores. The level of 9p24.1 alterations was associated with PFS; pts with 9p24.1 amplification had the most favorable PFS with nivo. HRS cell PD-L1 H-score (by quartiles) was also significantly associated with PFS (p=0.048), as pts with PD-L1 H-scores in Q1/Q2 had significantly shorter PFS than those with scores in Q3/Q4 (p=0.01). In contrast, there was no association between PD-L1 expression on non-malignant cells in the tumor microenvironment and PFS (p=0.43). In conclusion, all evaluable pts in this study had genetic alterations of 9p24.1/PD-L1/PD-L2 and copy number-dependent increased expression of PD-L1 in HRS cells. Although high-level alterations of 9p24.1 and increased PD-L1 expression were previously linked with inferior response to standard primary chemotherapy, we now associate these parameters with more favorable outcomes to targeted PD-1 blockade. These analyses also highlight the importance of quantifying and delineating PD-L1 expression in HRS cells and non-malignant cells in the tumor microenvironment in cHL biopsy evaluation. While further research is needed to guide possible use in clinical practice, these data advance understanding of 9p24.1 alterations and PD-L1 expression as prognostic biomarkers in cHL. Disclosures Engert: Takeda, BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Zinzani:Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; MorphoSys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celegene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Timmerman:Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kite Pharma, Valor Biopharmaceuticals, Janssen: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics, Genmab, Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria. Ansell:BMS, Seattle Genetics, Merck, Celldex and Affimed: Research Funding. Armand:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Sequenta Inc: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Kuruvilla:BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck: Honoraria; Roche Canada: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Lundbeck: Honoraria. Cohen:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Millennium/Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Infinity: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Collins:Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Trneny:Roche, Celgene, Takeda, Janssen, Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche, Celgene: Research Funding. Farsaci:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Kato:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Sumbul:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Employment. Rodig:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; Perkin Elmer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Shipp:Bayer: Research Funding; Merck, Gilead, Takeda: Other: Scientific Advisory Board; Cell Signaling: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Abstract Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a genetically heterogeneous disease characterized by multiple low-frequency alterations including somatic mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs) and chromosomal rearrangements. We sought to identify previously unrecognized low-frequency genetic events, integrate recurrent alterations into comprehensive signatures and associate these signatures with clinical parameters. For these reasons, our multi-institutional international group assembled a cohort of 304 primary DLBCLs from newly diagnosed patients, 87% of whom were uniformly treated with state-of-the-art therapy (rituximab-containing CHOP regimen) and had long term followup. Tumors were subjected to whole exome sequencing with an extended bait set that included custom probes designed to capture recurrent chromosomal rearrangements. In this cohort, 47% of samples had available transcriptional profiling and assignment to associated disease subtypes. Analytical pipelines developed at the Broad Institute were used to detect mutations (MuTect), CNAs (Recapseq+Allelic Capseq) and chromosomal rearrangements (dRanger+Breakpointer) and assess clonality (Absolute). To analyze formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumors without paired normals we developed a method which utilized 8334 unrelated normal samples to stringently filter recurrent germline events and artifacts. Significant mutational drivers were identified using the MutSig2CV algorithm and recurrent CNAs were assessed with GISTIC2.0. In addition, we utilized a recently developed algorithm, CLUMPS2, to prioritize somatic mutations which cluster in 3-dimensional protein structure. With this approach, we identified > 90 recurrently mutated genes, 34 focal amplifications and 41 focal deletions, 20 arm-level events and > 200 chromosomal rearrangements in the DLBCL series. Of note, 33% of the mutational drivers were also perturbed by chromosomal rearrangements or CNAs, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive genetic analysis. In the large DLBCL series, we identified several previously unrecognized but potentially targetable alterations including mutations in NOTCH2 (8%) and TET2 (5%). The majority of identified chromosomal rearrangements involved translocations of potent regulatory regions to intact gene coding sequences. The most frequently rearrangements involved Ig regulatory elements which were translocated to BCL2, MYC, BCL6 and several additional genes with known roles in germinal center B-cell biology. After identifying recurrent somatic mutations, CNAs and chromosomal rearrangements, we performed hierarchical clustering and identified subsets of DLBCLs with comprehensive signatures comprised of specific alterations. A large subset of tumors shared recurrent alterations previously associated with follicular lymphoma including mutations of chromatin modifiers such as CREBBP, MLL2, and EZH2 in association with alterations of TNFRSF14 and GNA13 and translocations of BCL2. This cluster was enriched in GCB-type DLBCLs and contained a subset with select genetic alterations associated with an unfavorable outcome. An additional cohort of tumors was characterized by alterations perturbing B-cell differentiation including recurrent BCL6 translocations or alterations of PRDM1. A subset of these DLBCLs had alterations of NOTCH2 and additional pathway components or mutations of MYD88 in association with TNFAIP3, CD70 and EBF1, a master regulator of B-cell differentiation. An additional group of DLBCLs exhibited frequent MYD88 mutations in association with alterations of CD79B, PIM1, TBL1XR1 and ETV6 and BCL2 copy gain; these tumors were highly enriched for ABC-type DLBCLs. This coordinate signature and additional alterations of p53 pathway components were associated with outcome. We explored bases for the identified genetic alterations in DLBCL by performing an in silico mutational signature analysis. The most frequent mutational signatures were those of spontaneous deamination (aging) and AID with rare cases of microsatellite instability. We also assessed the clonality of identified genetic features to define cancer cell fraction and establish the timing of specific genetic events. The comprehensive genetic signatures of clinically annotated DLBCLs provide new insights regarding approaches to targeted therapy. Disclosures Link: Kite Pharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding. Rodig:Perkin Elmer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Research Funding. Pfreundschuh:Boehringer Ingelheim, Celegene, Roche, Spectrum: Other: Advisory board; Roche: Honoraria; Amgen, Roche, Spectrum: Research Funding. Shipp:Gilead: Consultancy; Sanofi: Research Funding; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Purpose Treatment options are limited for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Tumor cells can exploit the programmed death-1 checkpoint pathway to evade immune surveillance. In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of programmed death-1 blockade by nivolumab in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL. Methods In this phase II, open-label study, patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL who were ineligible for autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) or who had experienced failure with auto-HCT received nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. We assessed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab as well as genetic alterations of 9p24.1. Results Among 121 treated patients, patients in the auto-HCT–failed cohort (n = 87) received a median of four nivolumab doses and a median of three doses were administered to those in the auto-HCT–ineligible cohort (n = 34). At a median follow-up of 9 months in the auto-HCT–failed cohort and 6 months in the auto-HCT–ineligible cohort, independently assessed objective response rates were 10% and 3%, and median durations of response were 11 and 8 months, respectively. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 1.9 and 12.2 months in the auto-HCT–failed cohort and 1.4 and 5.8 months in the auto-HCT–ineligible cohort respectively. All three patients with complete remission—3% of the auto-HCT–failed cohort—had durable response (11 or more, 14 or more, and 17 months). Treatment-related grade 3 and 4 adverse events were reported in 24% of patients. The most common were neutropenia (4%), thrombocytopenia (3%), and increased lipase (3%). Of all evaluable samples for 9p24.1 analysis, 16% exhibited low-level copy gain and 3% had amplification. Conclusion Nivolumab monotherapy is associated with a favorable safety profile but a low overall response rate among patients with DLBCL who are ineligible for auto-HCT or who experienced failure with auto-HCT. Genetic alterations of 9p24.1 are infrequent in DLBCL.